No More Heroes Season One: Shout
by TheTravelWriter
Summary: A redraft of the story Tokyo Mew Mew: Reborn. Ichigo has been forcibly involved in Project: Tempest to counter attack the aliens who are trying to reclaim their home. She faces her own emotional conflicts as well as doubts as to why she is fighting for mankind. Contains violence and swearing and may not be suitable to young viewers. You have been warned.
1. Chapter 1

For those of you that are wondering, this is a redraft of 'Tokyo Mew Mew: Reborn' after considering everyone's advice as well as the opinions of some of my friends. This will link much more smoothly into the sequel which will be appearing hopefully next month. I have changed a few things in here including character introductions, the main introduction to the character's problem, and the ending. Hopefully this will be enjoyable for you all. See you tomorrow.

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**"Transhumanism is the ethics and science of using things like biological and genetic engineering to transform our bodies and make us a more powerful species."**

**-Dan Brown**

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**CHAPTER ONE: Strawberry**

The streets were often clean back in the day, but now rubbish littered the street, recent gum sticking to her right trainer, almost making her gag but she did nothing to remove it, seeing no reason in doing so as the hospital came within sight. A building far larger than it should have been. It was once a block of flats before it was converted; Solid State Company offered more money than the tenants could pay in four years and they were kicked out. That was probably the main reason there were so many homeless people now; Solid State Company was very good at getting what it wanted.

She paused at the TV shop to stare dully at the TV's. They were quite expensive, but she would not buy them even if they were free; they had a habit of breaking in a few months. That was one easy way to roll in the money. The news report told the same thing over and over again and she had long since grown used to it, but there were a few snippets of something different that would keep her watching, and aliens, no matter how unusual or unlikely, was one of these things. She was amazed that the anchor man had time to mention anything relating to the science field; people were more interested in hearing about dead bodies these days.

Bubblegum planet: what a cute name. Not that it would be as bubbling and pink as she imagined; that would just be too much. She had seen enough of the TV and looked away; if she had chosen to stay much longer the owner might kick her out or order her to buy if she was watching.

Ichigo was never much of a fan when it came to the hospital. She could understand the reason for the smell, but that did not mean that she liked it; it smelt of old people and disinfectants, and she liked to bet that it smelt the same at the morgue so she tried to avoid it when she could. Today was a special day apparently and Miss Sakamaki was persistent when it came to her yearly check-up. There was nothing special about it, and Ichigo never understood the reasons she had to go. As far as Miss Sakamaki and everyone else knew, she was in tip-top condition, but it was something everyone had to do and she simply had to get used to it.

The doctor's office was simple and plain, with the only wall decorations being medical posters which depicted the human body among several other things. She always found them gross, but it was better than plain yellow walls; she hated the colour yellow. There were two chairs, a desk filled with papers and a laptop, and a resting bed covered in thin paper. In the corner of the room Ichigo could see the small camera that would film them.

'Big brother is watching you.' She would think whenever she entered the room, making it blatantly obvious that she could see them watching her.

Miss Sakamaki was a strange woman with a strange smile, usually overly friendly and enthusiastic to the point it made Ichigo wince whenever she started one of her infamous rants about some aspect of science. As a result her check-up would take a few hours rather than twenty minutes to get out of the way. She was a beautiful woman and while her name was Japanese it was clear that she was from some Western country for she had light blonde hair and green eyes.

It was normal thing for members of foreign countries to change their names once they got to Japan; it was a sign they were an official citizen, otherwise you would still be counted for as an immigrant. Her friend Masaya was from Mexico, his actual name being Mark, but he had his name changed when his parents moved to Japan as well; perhaps more for his protection than because it would make him a citizen.

"Hi, Ichigo, how are you feeling today?" Ichigo climbed onto the bed as she always did. She found it awkward and disliked the feeling of the paper ripping slightly as she settled down; it was hardly a bed at all.

"The usual." The usual was a combination of boredom, tiredness, and a need to play Final Fantasy. Miss Sakamaki would ask a few questions afterwards: anything out of the ordinary? How much fruit do you eat each day? How much do you exercise? The same questions each time. She would then be weighed and measured, blood pressure taken as blood taken, just in case anything was off that Ichigo knew nothing about: these check-ups were one of the few times she would get treatment for free and while she disliked it she would not dare waste such an opportunity.

She would return in a few hours to see if anything was wrong with her blood or anything of the sorts. Most times she would skulk around the park until it was one in the afternoon before going back and that was where she spent her time that afternoon. There was no reason for going there in specific. As a child she would go because it was fun, but now the swings were rusting and she could not run or roll in the grass because there was dog shit and glass in that glass; children had abandoned outdoor parks a long time again; video games were more their shtick these days, and she was almost embarrassed to say she was the same.

The park looked relatively decent that day, or at least there were no new decorations around. The university was not too far away so sometimes art students would pass by or even risk sitting down. There were a group of people that were in a project to protect the planet and they would spend their afternoons cleaning up the rubbish they could, only to find themselves disappointed as people just continued to throw more onto the pile. They sometimes threw it near the bins but would not actually put it in they were so lazy. Ichigo would feel sorry for the poor group that would pick up the rubbish every day, seeing some teenagers throw in the vilest things they possible could, sniggering when the group actually picked it up.

'Guess that's entertainment these days.' She did not like it, but that was just the way it worked. She had considered helping them several times but would pass them by in the end. Perhaps when she had more time (not that she did not have plenty of time, she just pretended that she spent her days doing something useful).

It was less common when the foundations for a new building were set up. It pushed slightly into the park, and people would mess around the sight when the workers had gone away. She found it ironic how people craved new things yet destroyed them the moment they appeared. Still, the building was surviving and reaching its end state. A building owned by none other than the Solid State Company. Not some mass production building, rather it seemed as though it were a small café named 'The Fringe'. She had seen two people go in and out of the café, both male and neither looking especially evil or tough; she supposed that they left that to the security guard in his body armour and gun.

That security guard was not there when she settled in the park. It was his day off or they did not need a guard anymore, and she saw that The Fringe had an open sign on it; they had finally opened for business and without announcing it in the local news or with a ceremony: it just opened.

'That's kind of weird.' She thought, getting up and walking over to the café, hands in her pockets as she looked in the windows and at the sign with the food menu; no pictures to drive her to enter the building. She did not have money so even if she wanted to she would not be able to buy anything. Still, it looked to be a pleasant place, even if it was rather small, so she was considering visiting next time.

She returned to the hospital before the clean-up squad could try a convince her to pick up other peoples mess. She would avoid them for as long as she could because she knew that if she faced them she would spend her whole afternoon with them; she was too much of a softie when it came to people asking her favours. She padded up the stairs to the second floor, returning to Miss Sakamaki's office maintaining a disinterested expression in the process.

Miss Sakamaki was waiting for her with a beaming smile. Ichigo could never tell whether the smile was a good or a bad thing and when she slumped into the seat she could see that there were two other people in the room and wondered for a brief moment why they were there. She could tell they were members of the Solid State Company because of the badges. She was tense; she had heard rumours about Solid State Company and it was rare that rumours were kind. Ichigo was a fast runner, but they had much longer legs than her and would catch up to her in no time if she considered it. She simply hoped that she would not be forced into something wicked.

"So I suppose we should get straight to the point."

The door clicked, a sound indicating that she had been locked in. Ichigo tried to maintain a calm composure at this revelation, dark eyes scanning for something to defend herself with, or to at least pretend to defend herself with. When she saw that they were out of reach she began to look for other ways out. She knew that there was always the potential of her overreacting, but she had to be ready.

"Why so nervous; we're just making sure that we're not interrupted; there are spies everywhere these days." Miss Sakamaki watched Ichigo with unwavering eyes; she could tell that Ichigo was trying to find a way out. She did not expect them to lock the door, and it had ruined her intentions of making the girl feel as comfortable as possible. "But I suppose that was a little unnecessary. Keiji, unlock the door will you."

One of the men glanced at Miss Sakamaki with an uncertain expression. He was not especially muscular, but he was very tall and when he walked over to the door his head almost touched the top of the door frame, unlocking the door and stepping away, waiting for a moment to see if Ichigo would run away. She chose to wait until he had left and the conversation had started before planning such a thing.

"Project: Tempest. I'm supposing that you no longer recall the project or anything relating to it." Ichigo had never heard of something called Project: Tempest, no signs of recollection forming on her face. Miss Sakamaki tried not to sigh, writing in her notepad before speaking. "The wipe-out was too effective. It will be difficult to recover the data." She mumbled quietly, tapping her finger against the wood of the desk; not real wood, plastic wood.

Miss Sakamaki typed something in the computer, tapping her pinkie twice. That was the cue. When her eyes were on Miss Sakamaki, Keiji took _it _out off his pocket. Miss Sakamaki was never a fan of needles, especially needles containing supernatural liquids such as the neon blue toxin which filled the cylinder.

"Well, I suppose we're going to have to get a bit dramatic then." Ichigo heard Keiji move and turned, only to feel a stabbing pain in her chest. Miss Sakamaki held a similar injection. She had suspected that Ichigo would turn to investigate Keiji and made sure she would have one of her own. The needle had hit its mark: the core. Ichigo tried to pull away but the horrible blue liquid had already been drained and was now pulsing around her body.

She was stunned silently, watching and waiting for something to happen and when it did not she was confused. Shortly after the confusion had passed over and got up and fled, stumbling out of the doctor's office and down the stairs, trying desperately to get away. She could not tell if they were following her and she did not want to look back to find out.

The strange drug was beginning to set in. She could feel her whole body warming up, and it was not because she had been running. She was almost literally drowning in her own sweat, tripping and falling in an alleyway. Her vision was running wild, and it hurt to look as everything became clearer and closer; every sound making her ears hurt. Her body felt like it was on fire.

'What was in...?' She could not even finish her own thoughts, coughing and spluttering. She wondered why they let her escape at all. Surely if this were an experiment they would have kept her locked in to observe her reaction. Miss Sakamaki mentioned a project, and something about Ichigo remembering it. Ichigo tried to remember such a project, but her mind was too unfocussed; all she could focus on was the pain in her chest. 'Why does it hurt so much?' She lifted her shirt and vest, trying to look.

When she was able to focus she saw something disgusting there. It looked like a rock had been embedded in her chest and had started growing roots across her chest. It was tender to the touch and the roots that grew out of it were soft. It had a weak glow to it; a putrid red colour. She had never seen it before and she knew that it was a result of that strange injection; perhaps they injected it into her and it grew.

Ichigo could not move; her body would fall into spasms and when it was not falling into fits it was too weak to move. She could not even call her mother to pick her up. She could neither hold the phone long enough to call or get a signal. She had to move, but she was unable.

'Perhaps if I rest...' It was not the best place to rest, nor the safest, but she was not moving no matter how she looked at it. She tried for a moment. She would have to walk slowly and out of sight, otherwise people would bring her back to the hospital. She did not want to do that; she did not know what else they had in plan for her. Ichigo clung to the wall for a few moments, dragging her feet across the ground until a spasm shot through her leg and she fell over. She managed to cut her hand on some glass and winced.

Her skin began to push the glass shards out, skin growing over. She stared in wonderful terror as the glass shards popped out and fell to the ground, a thin scar forming. It was always cool on TV shows, but having it happen up close and to herself, all she could feel was horror and disgust. It was not natural.

'What did those bastards do to me?' Another spasm shot through her legs, preventing her from getting up. It was hopeless; she had only gone a few meters; she could never make it home. Her chest hurt more than anything and she could feel the strange rock through her hoodie; a small lump in her chest that was only causing her nightmares. Shock shot through her whole body. She would not be surprised if she lost consciousness soon; she could already see her vision going.

"Excuse me; are you alright?" She could not see the figure clearly, and was unable to respond. To the stranger she was probably a homeless bum. Her response consisted of coughs and gaggles. She hoped they would leave her alone if they did not help her. She wanted to at least die in peace. She would not be awake for very long; she could barely see anymore, feeling something lift her up. Somehow, something had decided to help her.


	2. Chapter 2

"If people are afraid of the river, they will build a dike."

-Hermes, Kino no Tabi

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**CHAPTER TWO: Mist**

It was a strange feeling, being in an unfamiliar household. It was as though she had been torn out of her natural environment and tossed out into the wild to fend for herself; that was how she felt whenever she entered someone's house, but she did not have time to feel that fright because she was not awake when she had been brought in, lying in the room staring up at an unknown ceiling, the sound of the AC being the only noise to fill the silence.

Looking around with dim eyes, Ichigo found that she was lying in a futon in a small apartment consisting of one large room and a bathroom. There was a small corner with tiled walls and a few cabinets that indicated a kitchen, with the kettle and the microwave being the only electrical pieces there. Across from her were a sofa and a TV that was more box than screen. Rising, she found that there was also a balcony, although she had no intentions of going out when it was raining.

Her chest hurt more than anything else, pulses of pain rushing through her with each heartbeat, the skin itching almost as though to mock her further. Her chest was bound tightly and the glowing stone that had grown in her chest was not visible among the multiple layers of bandages. She was surprised that her helper had not left her there.

She lifted the covers and shuffled out of the bed. The house was spotless; even the bin was empty. Whoever lifted in the apartment certainly knew how to keep the place tidy. Ichigo slipped over to the front door, opening it only slightly so she could look at the names on the mailbox. Mr and Mrs Hamashi. A couple lived in such a small place? She found it hard to believe.

'And where is this couple, anyhow?' She thought, closing the door to look around further. There was not much else to look at except the bathroom, but by the time she got to the door someone was already at the front door and called to her.

"How are you feeling?" She flinched at the loudness and the high pitch of the voice, a young girl much smaller than she standing there. She was certainly not Mrs Hamashi.

"Um… tired…" She said after much thought. The girl looked to be Asian, but she had distinctly blonde hair and eyes that almost bulged they were so large. She hopped to the kitchen area holding the plastic bags and putting them on the cabinet.

"I brought back some Indian, although there's not much so you won't be having much of a feast." She said this with a smile, tossing one of the bags to Ichigo who caught it with ease. "That's for you. Don't know if you like mushrooms."

"Thanks." She did not expect the family to have a child. There was no evidence indicating a child's presence; no toys or stuff for school. "Are you the Hamashi's daughter or something?" The girl gave Ichigo a strange glance that, for a single moment, chilled her to the very core; the pain in her chest almost fading in sudden fright.

"No, but I am staying over."

"Where are they?" She got no response, which Ichigo found to be strange, but she decided not to complain, seeing as she was saved by this girl.

"I'm supposing you want to know what that thingamabob in your chest is." The girl finally said, plopping down next to Ichigo still in her outdoor clothes, not even bothering to remove her gloves.

"How do you know about it?" It seemed as though the girl had been waiting for that question because she was quick to remove her coat and lift the shirt just enough to see the edge of a brown stone, thick red veins bulging all across her chest.

"I have to wear thick clothes to cover it up." She dropped her shirt, opening a plastic tub of rice and pouring some curry into it. "I'll start with my name. It's Bu-Ling."

Her case was similar to Ichigo's. She did not elaborate much on her circumstances beforehand, but she had been to the hospital several times before and nothing seemed especially out of the ordinary, or if it was she hardly noticed.

"It's seems as though your memory is a bit foggy." The nurse had said with a scowl; closely resembling Miss Sakamaki's comment. "Let's fix that."

Bu-Ling was held down, the serum stabbed into her chest, and a small stone began to surface, growing and threatening to tear her apart. Her mind went into flight mode. Her first intentions were to get the thing out of her, but she was stopped.

"I wouldn't go tearing out your core if I were you." The nurse smiled, Bu-Ling pushing away and stumbling out. They would not chase after her, suspecting that she would come back to them whether she liked it or not.

She wandered for a while. She could not go back home, fearing that they would be expecting her there, so she stayed on the streets. She was always a crafty person and very good at sneaking things away, so it was not too hard, but it was cold and soon people began to notice her. She decided to move locations.

She came across the Hamashi household while trying to find a place to stay. When she entered, the place was in ruins with piles of rotten rubbish littering the floor, plates carelessly filling the sink and lying on the floor, brown water unused in the tub. The bathroom was just as terrible, dyes and make-up covering the walls. Inside the bathroom in the shower was Mrs Hamashi. Bu-Ling did not know who she was, but she was overwhelmingly thin and had a prematurely wrinkling face. She had been dead for at least twelve hours.

Mr Hamashi was lying in the bed among several layers of dirty bed sheets and unwashed clothes. He was a slightly bloated man (then again, that could be the result of decay) and dreadlocks. Both household members had died and no one had found them yet. Bu-Ling hated to think of it in such a way, but it was the perfect opportunity. No one would think to look for her in a drug user's apartment.

As she suspected, after a whole week no one bothered to investigate. She made sure to work only during the night, clearing the place up when no one was looking. The bodies were put into body bags and thrown into the big dumpsters. Even at her young age she knew that no one would bother to check the bags.

During the day she had her small performances, earning as much money as she could so she would be able to move further away, or at least pay the family's rent. It was after one of these performances that she saw Ichigo. Until then, she thought that she was the only one to have gone through the awful procedure. But when she saw it she knew that she was not the only one, and the chances were that there were others.

"So I took you here." Her smile almost never broke throughout the entire explanation, although it was clear that Bu-Ling was unsettled by the events. It was probably a huge change to her ordinary life, but from Ichigo heard she had handled the situation much better than she had.

"How old are you Bu-Ling?"

"Turning eleven in three months." So young? Ichigo could hardly speak, still being thirteen. Ichigo thought carefully. She tried to remember why they were injected with the strange serum. She wanted to know at least that much. She also wanted to find a cure.

"Wait, they called this a core. What does that mean?" Bu-Ling thought it over with rice and chicken. She hated the idea, but to her it seemed as though their heart was replaced with the strange rock. She wondered if perhaps they were born with it, or if it was injected into the heart and took over.

"I don't know."

They were quiet for the most part, finishing their dinner quickly, disposing of it immediately. Bu-Ling made sure to wash everything Ichigo held before throwing it in the bin. Ichigo had wondered why Bu-Ling had worn gloves until then, soon realising that she was hiding her fingerprints. So long as she left no evidence they could not prosecute her.

"So, what now?" There was not much they could do. They were running away from the world's most powerful company and sooner or later they would get caught. Ichigo hated the idea of running away for her entire life without even knowing why she was running.

"You need to rest until that thing stops hurting. I'm going to keep an eye out for other victims." Bu-Ling was very clever when it came to spying on the main hospital. She had spent a lot of her life dressing up as other people to get around and had slipped in more than once as an aging man.

"We need to find out what they need us for."

"You can do that after you get better; I'm not getting any closer to those offices." Ichigo would have scoffed and called her a coward, but then she would be hypocritical, because the girl had already done a lot of things that Ichigo would not dare do. "You should be alright in a few days. Until then, you should probably try to sleep."

"Right… sure."

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Hey guys, me again. A great big thanks to my first followers Kamukoma and ShadowhunterCici02 as well as the elusive guest who sent a lovely review about this rewrite. Although, a major thanks to all of my followers who have read the original series, one such follower being Kamukoma who has decided to follow me into the grave. Thank you for all the reviews on that first draft which inspired me to rewrite this series. I hope you all enjoy this edition.

On that note, I shall be fixing up the Spirited Away sequel which seems to have become too corny for my personal liking. I shall be rewriting from chapter two onwards and hopefully it will progress a little better. I will certainly be exploring a bit more of the Spirit World.


	3. Chapter 3

"A wolf, which hunts in a pack, has a better chance of survival than a lion which hunts alone.

-Christian Lous Lange

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**CHAPTER THREE: Hunt**

The muted morning light was still new in the sky as she opened the bathroom door, twisting the shower temperature to icy cold, removing her clothes and stepping in, letting the coolness of the water ease her discomfort as the muck blended with the clear water, disappearing down the drain. Had it been any other day she would have gone for a long, hot shower, but then and there all she wanted was someone to cool the burning, staring solemnly at the embarrassment in her chest.

The strong smell of strawberry shampoo almost drowned out the putrid odour of disinfectant and hospitals that had latched onto her when she least expected it. Or, perhaps, her nose was more sensitive than it had been before. Cherry red hair clung to her face and she felt the impulsive need to cut it all off.

Sighing, she turned off the shower and stepped onto the chilly tiled floor, glancing at herself in the mirror. She looked decent, but incredibly miserable, and her scowl deepened when she saw the seed in her chest. It had cooled down in the shower, the veins no longer visible and the bulge decreased. It looked like a horribly placed birthmark that had swollen up with time. She wondered what would happen if she cut it out and found herself staring at the razor with frightful intensity.

"Ichigo, are you finished?"

"Yeah." She wrapped a towel around her body to hide the stone, opening the bathroom door and switching off the bathroom light, the fan silencing shortly after.

They had a plan of sorts. Bu-Ling already said that she was going to seek out other victims of the project, and they both knew that the check-ups would continue for the remaining week so if there were any runaways they would be found in the next three days. Neither Bu-Ling nor Ichigo were willing to work with the Solid State Company or the creators of the project, but they both understood that there was a threat that had been mentioned to both of them; aliens having been mentioned.

They knew nothing about the aliens or how to fight them, so Ichigo theorised that someone should pretend to join the company to find out more before escaping. Ichigo's parents were members of the company, but she was no longer certain if she could trust them, falling silent. It was too much of an effort to think so far ahead when they were not even certain that they could get anyone else to join them.

Ichigo had changed into the deceased owners clothes. They were a little too big on her, but she did not care. Most would find it unnerving dressing in a dead person's clothes, but at that moment she found that she could care less; there was enough on her mind as it was.

She kept her face hidden as she skulked about the filthy city streets. It was hard to believe that at one point they had machines to make sure the streets were clean; they spent most of that money on preparing for a war now. Ichigo did not even know if there was actually going to be a war, or if people were pretending there was a war coming to collect more money: she did not even care.

They stuck to alleyways, seeking out any collapsed figures. Most were drunkards or homeless people, but they had not seen anyone that had collapsed because of a mutant seed of pain and anguish implanted in their chest; not that it was a common thing.

When late afternoon arrived Ichigo gave up on her search, slumping down on a beaten park bench that was rusting to the point it was almost dangerous to sit on it, watching an abandoned crisp bag flap by like the strange bushes that would blow in the wind like in the Wild West. Ichigo never bothered to remember their names. Sitting there, she felt like an old-fashioned cowboy about to face the sheriff of the town and she regretted not bringing her water pistols before she went to the hospital, but then again she did not expect anything like this to happen then.

She sniffed out something odd. A strong clinical smell. Stiffening, she sniffed some more, thinking that she was wrong. Beyond the smell of rot and body odour, the smell of disinfectant was most certainly there and she jumped upwards, pieces of rust clinging onto her borrowed jacket as she attempted to trace the smell, like a dog on the hunt.

Bu-Ling was knelt down in the alleyway, having caught the smell before Ichigo. The figure was female, dressed in rather modest clothes in basic value with long, greenish (was it dyed?) hair braided into two thick plaits. They were quiet and lying face down: unconscious. Ichigo was not expecting to get so lucky so fast and was quick to pick the girl up. Her glasses were shattered on the ground, her face bleeding ever so slightly, healing up quickly.

They carried her back to the flat, waiting until it was night before doing so. Even then, they were cautious about every sound, every movement, fearing that neighbours might start asking questions as they entered the vacant apartment. Ichigo knelt down, easing the girl onto the futon. She wondered if she had looked as pathetic when she first arrived.

There was nothing but the clothes on her back that she had taken with her, not that they expected much considering the fact that she had probably fled for her life. Bu-Ling was already boiling tea, expecting the unconscious girl to wake up soon while Ichigo watched over her.

The girl was rather dainty in appearance, with a button nose and smooth, slightly freckled, skin. She did not look like the sort of person that would go about dying her hair. Ichigo sniggered at the memory of an old friend who had bleached their hair a short time ago, deciding to dye it brown after the teacher got angry at her, only to have it turn a horrible seaweed green. She could imagine that the girl lying silent on the futon had attempted to do the same thing.

'Teachers are so fussy.' She had always been nagged to dye her hair black; no one believed her when she said it was her natural colour. Her mother was American, so it was to be expected, but almost no one believed her until her mum actually stepped in to talk about it, and her mum was not someone to be argued with, taller than the teacher.

Ruffling her hair, Ichigo found herself smiling ever so slightly at the memories as she heard a small groan from the girl. Bu-Ling jumped to pour tea, sensing that the girl was waking. Her worn blue eyes stared up at the ceiling, as faded as her own were as the girl rose, rubbing her eyes and unconsciously reaching to put on glasses that were not there.

"Sorry, they were broken when we found them." Ichigo apologised, giving them to the girl who put them on anyway. "Do you… remember anything?"

Bu-Ling set the tea next to the girl, watching for her response. She nodded, her eyes focussing at last.

"I remember everything."

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Sorry for the long delay folks; I've been preparing for exams and such and will be having my English exam on Thursday, which I am totally not prepared for. On that note, we have been introduced to Lettuce, or Midori Retatsu as she will be introduced (seriously, I felt horrible about her first name so I'm just switching it around so her first name is Midori (minus the Kawa) and her last is Retatsu. Makes more sense in my opinion. Also, thank you to the elusive guest for enjoying the last chapter. Not much happens in this one but hopefully you'll enjoy it.


	4. Chapter 4

"One of the world's most tiresome questions is what object one would bring to a desert island,because people always answer "a deck of cards" or "Anna Karenina" when the obvious answer is "a well-equipped boat and a crew to sail me off the island and back home where I can play all the card games and read all the Russian novels I want."

-Lemony Snicket

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**CHAPTER FOUR: Green**

Midori's situation was quite similar to theirs, the only differences being her doctor, her room, and where she fled.

The third floor of the Solid State Company had a total absence of the smell of disinfectant, replaced with the slightly muted smell of chlorine and coffee, passing by three old, unnecessarily large coffee machines that were rusting, stains covering the floor where the cleaners had not bothered to reach. Midori found herself scowling at this fact, disapproving of the fact that standards in hospitals had gone down; infections could easily spread if they continued their laziness.

Like every other girl in her year, she was waiting for her yearly check-up; something everyone had to go through to make sure that society was in tip-top condition, although she was fully aware that it was also intended to help in surveys and (though at the time she considered it exaggerated) potential subjects for experiments, although she only considered it with a snigger, walking as slowly as she needed; she was an hour early after all and she was not afraid to admit that she was a slow walker.

Her doctor went by the name Xiao-Mei; a Chinese woman who had replaced her previous doctor two years ago. Midori was generally in good health so rarely saw her, but she did not particularly enjoy the woman's presence. While she had a charming look to her, she was always scowling and grumbling bitterly in Chinese, completely unaware of the fact that Midori understood every word she was saying; having taught herself the language when she was younger.

She considered waiting in the waiting room for a short while, taking one of the uncomfortable square seats closest to the reception, staring boredly at the magazines that were years out of date, glancing to observe the occasional other student go to their check-ups. She noted the girl with her hair in bunches who looked to be quite the expensive girl who rose first. Midori wondered why she was in a Solid State hospital when she was fully capable of buying out her own private doctor and felt compelled to wander, standing to join the girl.

Midori occasionally prided herself in being ghostly, capable of slipping by receptionist nurses without them even noticing. She was not small, just very quiet and able, through some means or another, to blend in with her environment. It was a habit she had picked up from school to avoid conflicts among several other things.

There was no reason for her to follow the girl, but she did so anyhow, her head bowed down and her footsteps quiet; even she could not hear them and she was glad for this. She only stopped when the girl entered the room, letting the door shut. She knew better than to spy on other people's appointments, so instead decided to wander the corridors.

They were cleaner than the other corridors, all odours banished except for the faint smell of rust, and she saw not a single coffee machine or coffee stain. The halls were white and sterile and she felt dirty walking down them, going beyond the offices and to the laboratories on the next floor. She did not take the elevator, fearing that she would get caught, but took the stairs. If she got caught, she could simply say that she got lost and had only been to the hospital two times before. She still had half an hour before her appointment so decided that she would take a peek at a few of the laboratories, taking them in as research for her future career as a doctor.

It was chilling and unsettling, all the blue lights and screens, the putrid smells, the test subjects. She creeped into an empty laboratory, the people having taken a break and most likely having forgotten to seal the door.

It was everything she thought a high-tech laboratory would be. A number of large computer screens sat proudly on the far wall showing charts that she read swiftly. Though she did not fully understand it, she was aware that they were intending to do something to a humanoid figure to make them biologically stronger than most. She observed the poor white rat which were large in bulk and had strange rock-like objects attached to their chests. When she took one of the rats, which she later put in her bag, she noticed a number of case files and notebooks next to them.

She would not steal them; she was not _that _bold despite her curiousity, but she read them. Midori had a certain skill where everything she read she remembered, and she was a fast reader.

The intentions were to create a biologically stronger human through use of the unusual stone, which was labelled a core, which contained a liquid named Blue Aqua. This 'Blue Aqua' was injected via needle into suitable test subjects and increased their physical strength, speed, and durability. While it was yet to be tested on actual humans, results in rats showed that all of the above had increased by twenty per cent, and the healing rate of subjects was six times faster than the average rat but over a period of time all of the above decreased by ten per cent and healing decreased from six times faster to three times faster; and they were not capable of healing from limb removal, organ removal, or severe injuries that killed instantly.

The next notebook was labelled Cyclonians and had a comedic drawing of a green alien on the front. She had only just opened the book when she could hear voices. She shut the book quickly and looked for a hiding place, stumbling over to the corner and hiding among the equipment as a group of scientists came in, chatting among themselves in a casual fashion, unaware of her presence. She shuffled along the wall, hiding in the darkness as she sneaked over to the door. But she was not able to leave without getting caught because the door had sealed shut.

"Oh my, what do we have here?"

She fell silent after that, staring dimly at the futon blankets as the two girls listened, not daring to interrupt. When Midori ended her tale, Ichigo was the first to speak.

"Well, at least we have a name for them." Cyclonians. It sounded like something out of a Star Wars movie to her, but she was not one to complain; she did not know if that was their actual name or a name given to them by the Solid State Company.

"And now we know what we can do…" Except they did not know what would happen if their 'core' was taken out, nor did they want to test it out. If they were to do so, it would be on a rat, but the rat Midori had taken was long gone for certain.

Bu-Ling rose to turn on the kettle, almost unaware of the fact that she was doing such a thing in the first place. The girl, Midori, had given them a small amount of information, but Ichigo dared to think that it would be all they would get perhaps for an incredibly long time, but they had not expected to get very much or anything at all.

"Oh! I'm Ichigo Momomiya, nice to meet you." Ichigo brought out a hand for the girl to shake. She was almost embarrassed that she had forgotten her manners, and after her mother had taught her so well. Midori brought out a thin hand and shook, her grip weak and shaky.

"Midori Retatsu." Lettuce? It was a strange last name, but who was she to talk about strange names? She was named after a fruit and lacked the sweetness that came with a strawberry. Raspberry would have been better. Or cactus.

"The girl over there is Bu-Ling. I don't know what her last name is but she's the one that found me." Bu-Ling turned her head slightly to give a large, toothy grin before pouring boiling water into the cups which were chipped and cracked from poor treatment in the past. "This isn't exactly my house, and it isn't hers either; we're just staying until we can do something." Bu-Ling mentioned renting an apartment somewhere else, or staying in an abandoned house, but Ichigo doubted they would get very far; she suspected that the Solid State Company knew their faces and that they already knew where they were.

The thought chilled her, but it kept her cautious. Both Ichigo and Bu-Ling acted on high alert, flinching at every suspicious person and it had only been two days. Ichigo wondered if she should dye her hair or put in coloured contacts, but she also knew that every customer had an I.D credit card they had to use. If she was going to buy anything, she would have to use a fake I.D and possibly someone else to buy what she needed.

'Wish I had brought my phone.' Her phone had died before she went to the hospital and was left charging at her home. She wondered how her parents were feeling. They would be worried sick about her; thinking that she had been kidnapped and sold in the black market; very common these days.

Midori had familiar concerns, Ichigo found out later that evening. Unlike Ichigo, Midori had her phone on her person and was dialling her house number. Bu-Ling stopped her instantly. She said that the signal could be traced; she would have to turn the phone off or break it. Midori settled on turning it off, finding herself unable to break it.

A public phone had to be used, and it had to be at least four blocks away from the apartment, that way it would be more challenging to find them if they avoided the cameras. It was repulsive to think that they would have to use the sewers to get to a phone and back, but it was better than getting caught in Ichigo's mind.

Midori went first. It seemed to be the sort of conversation that was expected from a girl who had been missing for almost a whole day. Midori dared not cry, but she looked like she was close to it, speaking in a shaky, light voice, claiming that she was alright and that she was not hurt. She did, however, say that she could not come home. She said that she needed a few things from home and listed a few things. There were several apologies, her voice cracking the smallest amount before she finally hung up, stepping out of the booth with her head bowed down, standing where Ichigo had stood to keep guard, as Ichigo put the coins in the slot, dialling her home number. She had it engraved in her memory after her mother persisted that she remember it lest she be kidnapped or put in prison.

It rang a few times before a familiar voice sprung up.

"Hello, captain, lieutenant Derp reporting for duty." She said before a voice could speak up. That was her opening line whenever she was in a sticky situation, it would mean that either she or her father or mother would have to be very careful with what they say.

"It's been a while Yuri." That was how her father always started a conversation if he was in a bad situation. Solid State workers were probably at her house. "You've left quite a lot behind; and after we went through the effort of putting it all in boxes for you." So he had already put some of her stuff away?

"Sorry about that; I didn't have time to collect it; it's been a busy day what with the sisters and all." He now knew there were others involved. "I have to keep an eye on them these days, they keep getting into trouble and sometimes I worry the government will get involved."

"That bad, huh?" There was a hint of worry in his voice, but nothing that would make him appear to suspicious.

"Yeah, real pain. Anyway, I'll have Becky come pick up the stuff tomorrow." 'Becky' was Moe's online name, which she used mainly in MMORPG's or public chats. They did not know that Ichigo was friends with Moe, which meant that so long as she was careful she could visit Moe and ask for her help. She did not want to spend too much money and risk them locating the call.

"Alright, you take care of yourself."

"Yeah. See you."

Click.

Ichigo let out a weak sigh, trying not to let her worry show as she stepped out, stretching.

"Are you okay?" Midori asked, a tint of concern on her delicate face.

"Yep! I'm great!" Her voice seemed a bit too forced, the smile on her face stretched a little too far. "Anyway, we might have to visit a friend of mine before we go back to the flat."

Moe was considered middle class, living in a two parent family with her grandmother owning a technological repair shop the size of the average living room, which was not very big, so it was always crowded. Midori entered the cramped space with Ichigo, Moe's grandmother with her tiny figure and goggles sleeping at the cash register, the small TV in the corner still playing Sailor Moon.

'If only it were that cool. And that painless.' Ichigo thought bitterly, gently creeping up the stairs. She did not want to get caught as a robber, which she was not, but the door had been locked and only a select few knew where the keys were; under the third pot stuck to the bottom with blu-tac.

Moe's room was the closest to the bathroom, the wooden sign painted lilac with sparkles clearly announcing that she was the one that owned the room. Ichigo knocked loudly three times, a little too loud for her own good. She had forgotten her new strength and yelped when she saw the wood of the door splinter after the final knock, Moe groaning and squeaking, a heavy thud letting Ichigo know that she had fallen out of the bed.

"No need to come to the door, Moe. It's me."

"Ichigo, wha…"

"Tomorrow I need you to collect some things from my house. I have written an address you need to drop it off at when possible."

The door opened whether Ichigo liked it or not, Moe staring at her with bleary orange eyes.

"What the fuck, Ichigo, it's four in the morning."

"Sorry, I couldn't-."

"And you've skipped school for two days. I went over to your house but your mum said you hadn't come home, what the hell have you-."

"Moe. I don't have time to explain, alright. I had to come this early. I can't tell you what is going on; I just need you to do this one thing for me." Ichigo handed her the note with their current address. Moe read it over, the start of her sentence interrupted by Ichigo. "When the coast is clear I will explain everything. Until then, don't go looking for me."

There was short pause between them, Moe running a hand through her curly hair.

"Alright, I'll ask dad to collect it tomorrow."

"Thanks." Ichigo glanced at Midori who had been quiet the whole time, Moe still unaware of her existence. "Also, tell him that if any Solid State people question him about the location, tell him that it's yours and Ichigo borrowed it a while back."

"Sure, whatever." Mo grumbled. Ichigo thanked her again, dismissing herself and letting Moe return to her bedroom to catch whatever sleep she could, her friend pondering over what Ichigo had gotten herself into.

* * *

I will be working on my art portfolio on Monday, but hopefully after that I will have finished and then I will have all the time in my short existence to continue to write these chapters, and I will no doubt continue on 'Life Goes On' and several other fanfictions that I have in my head but not on paper. Equally, I am in the process of completing the final draft of 'Not A Legend' which is my original fiction. I will also be doing a comic book version of this quite soon for comic-con where I will be selling my art as most semi-homeless people such as I do.

Thank you for reading; I will introduce two new characters in the next chapter and possibly some aliens.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello friends, I am back online after a rather adventurous time in London which I have used as research for city places (because Aberdeen isn't that big) and the results were interesting. I have a sketchbook and everything. After this, probably everything will go to hell.

* * *

"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination."

-Jimmy Dean

**CHAPTER FIVE: Break In**

Ichigo hated rain. She hated how cold it was, and how it always made her feel sickly afterwards, but she did enjoy how it made everything gleam, and she loved the fresh, clean smell that followed afterwards. So while she hated the rain, she liked the end results for the most part.

But the rain was not easing up that evening and she had no shelter to hide under until it passed over, her thick hoodie her only protection until Moe delivered the satchel full of her stuff. Nothing too fancy was in it anyway; a set of clothes and a few womanly products. Enough to keep her going for a weekend. Moe used to find it weird how Ichigo kept the satchel on stand-by, but Ichigo liked to think that now Moe was preparing one of her own. The key was under the doormat so Moe could get in without too much trouble; she just hoped that the Solid State Company men did not find her suspicious and follow her to the apartment.

This fresh smell, which temporarily cleared out the odour of rotten garbage and smoke, allowed them all the opportunity to sniff out the familiar smell that came with all of them; chlorine and blood. She watched as Midori trailed down the cobbled streets, her soaked clothes leaving a small stream behind her; she had no spare clothes.

The figure was leaning against the wall, staring up at the sky and clinging onto her arm. Midori recognised her as the girl that left the waiting room before her. She would recognise that unusual hairstyle anywhere, but it was in ruins now, one bun completely undone, wavy black hair trailing down to her shoulder. She had blood on her face and Midori did not know how she got the injury.

"Are you oka-?" Her hand was slapped away viciously, and she could feel her wrist snapping for a moment before twisting itself back into its normal position. There was a wild look in the girl's dark brown eyes, as though she was truly considering killing Midori if she got close.

"Stay away from me." Her voice did not sound threatening; it did not sound as though she had ever threatened someone in her life, but the menace was there.

"If you're thinking we're part of that hospital, your brain might need a scan." Ichigo replied, crossing her arms slightly before loosening them. The girl was undoubtedly confused and had escaped with injury. "Guessing they shot you to prove a point." To Ichigo's knowledge, none of them had to be shot to be shown that something had changed in them, they only needed to see the core to let the panic set in.

The girl did not move; they were not even sure if she could move. Midori was very slow and precise with her movements, unbuttoning the blouse, revealing a small amount of frilly bra that she would have found embarrassing had she not been absolutely certain that the girl was another victim that needed more convincing than others.

"If it will help console you; we're all in the same situation here."

Moe took her iphone out of her jacket pocket and checked the time; it was 7.30 and the van was packed, ready to visit the Momomiya household. Moe tried not to sigh as she wondered why or how Ichigo had involved herself in such a suspicious situation, or better yet why she could not tell Moe about said situation.

Her father, a large man with thick glasses and the reek of grease about him, climbed into the driver's seat as Moe put her iphone back in her pocket. Ichigo probably left her phone at home, but Moe knew she would not be able to pick it up without seeming suspicious. All of Ichigo's stuff would be in the shed; that was where she kept her hidden treasures ever since she was a small child. Moe used to mock her when she had her deranged theories about alien conspiracies, having watching too many American television shows, but Moe no longer thought it ridiculous that she should pack everything lest she get into a bad situation.

The Momomiya household stood on the edge of the Nihonbashi district, about ten minutes away from her own home. Moe did not give her father much of the details, claiming that she was collecting a few things for Miwa that Ichigo borrowed. She hoped that her father would not question it and was relieved to see that he believed her. She always a good liar.

It was a typical two story house with a red roof with a tinge of green as a result of moss, the walls greying with age but still clearly white at one point in their lives. On the metal mailbox was the family name and parked outside the building was a black car almost the same size as their own van; the smiley face logo of the Solid State Company on the window.

Moe was the one to get out first, saying she would only be a minute; and she would only be a minute because nothing lurked in Ichigo's room that she could get without getting caught and questioned, and she had heard of the Solid State Company's methods from her uncle.

It was not so much a shed as a storage area where things that could not fit into the house stayed, because they had no attic or basement. Mostly tools and old toys resided in the shed, but there were also Ichigo's treasures which she had carefully hidden throughout the years; she was very talented at hiding things.

"Hurry it up, girl." The guards almost snarled. He was not an especially tall or powerful man. In fact, he had a very thin face and bug eyes and looked hilarious in his suit that was too large for him. He knelt at the doorway tapping his foot impatiently, wanting to return to the warmth of the main building quickly. Moe was almost tempted to take her time just to spite him, but she decided against it, taking out the large gym bag. She zipped it open to make sure there was enough for Ichigo to last inside. A set of clothes, a waterproof jacket, toothpaste and brush, and about 7000 yen. There was no phone to call anyone with; perhaps because all phone calls could be traced.

'Gonna have to get a special one for her.' Moe could do it in a few days if Ichigo stayed at the same apartment for long enough.

"Hurry up!"

"Coming!" Moe zipped up the bag, lifting the strap over her shoulder and leaving, offering the man as vicious a glare as she could before marching off to the truck, trying not to look suspicious as the men watched her. She was afraid that they would follow her to the apartment. She decided she would stay in the house for a while and take her grandmother's route that she made during the crisis.

Settled in to the best of their ability, Midori settled on explaining the situation to the girl, who was called Ai, not honouring them with her last name until the tea was brewing. Ai Minto. She looked to be a wealthy girl in her now tattered clothes which looked to have been made of silk at one point, and the way she spoke was very polite but also quite snobbish especially when it came to the appearance of the temporary home which she claimed to be too small and when she had her tea she almost spat it out, claiming it to just be leaf water. Ichigo somehow resisted the urge to tell her that was exactly what it was, leaning near the door to listen out for Moe who was expected to arrive at any moment.

"So what you're telling me is that we have been used as test subjects to fight an extra-terrestrial race called Cyclonians to help the human race without actually knowing what these Cyclonians look like or what they are actually planning to do?" Midori nodded slightly. Ai was quiet for a moment before a smirk twisted onto her porcelain face and she began laughing, laughing so hard that she could not even sit up, slumping on the ground, clinging onto her stomach.

"You might find it funny, snobby, but we have evidence." They were the evidence, and soon enough they would find out if these Cyclonians truly did exist and what they wanted. "We're planning on breaking in to that damned hospital in a few hours to find out what we can so I suggest you shut up."

Ai's expression darkened then.

"You intend to go back?" Ichigo did not like it, but she had very little choice when it came to the overall situation. They needed to find out as much as they could, and the only place they knew had such information was the Solid State Hospital.

"Not much else we can do. 'course you don't have to go. Mainly me and Midori that are breaking in." Midori was a very quiet and clever person and knew the path, and Ichigo took pride in her hiding ability as well as her capability of distracting. The others were expected to stay behind so that at least if they got caught they could get by.

"You're crazy."

Ichigo only smirked, standing on her tip-toes to stare through the peep hole. Moe was about to knock on the door, the large blue gym bag slung over her shoulder. No one was with her and she looked nervous, jumping as Ichigo opened the door.

"Hey there." Moe sighed in relief, removing the bag and passing it to her with a scowl forming on her freckled face.

"I managed to get one of those old cell phones out of the basement; it won't be easy to trace since it doesn't use the same technology as most phones." There were only a few left, and her grandmother always kept them hidden just in case; even if they were out of fashion. She said that it would be best to have a back-up.

"Thanks." Moe stood there for a few moments, shifting from foot to foot, looking as though she wanted to say something. "Can I… come in?" Ichigo was wary for a moment, looking for possible trackers, but she knew that Moe would have found them long before her, and she was certain that Moe was on her side.

"Sure, go ahead."

Moe looked around the apartment. It was very clean and very empty much like a hotel room, all the plates in the cupboard and the floor left clear; all personal belongings out of sight. In the room were three other girls that Moe did not recognise. The youngest, a Chinese girl with gold hair braided into four plaits, leapt upwards and trotted over to the kitchen area, flicking the kettle on and watching Moe as she stepped through the doorway into their temporary home.

"I suppose you want an explanation then." Moe nodded at Ichigo who stared on guiltily. Moe took a seat without Ichigo's permission, sitting directly opposite Ai who had since left the bed but still used it as a comfortable seat.

It took about thirty seconds to explain because Ai was so impatient and did not want to hear the same story again. Ichigo had to show the repulsive core that had faded into a birth mark, but it was Ai that convinced her. She was very reluctant and not in the slightest bit happy about exposing her chest even the smallest amount, showing the new core for a single moment before turning away, embarrassed with herself. At that moment, Midori wished that she had taken the time to collect her bag before fleeing; having a rat example would be significantly less awkward and they were not nearly as uncaring as Ichigo or Bu-Ling when it came down to showing off skin.

"You always get yourself into the dumbest situations, Ichigo." Her voice was calm but they could see that her hands were shaking; she was frightened beyond reason and she was not frightened of them. "I can't really do much in this situation, but I can help with that break in you were talking about."

"How?" Bu-Ling jumped in, having said nothing the majority of the conversation.

"I have a certain grandmother that knows how to mess with the system." The mischievous smile was enough to let them know that whatever she had up her sleeve, it would be destructive.

* * *

Shout out to ShadowhunterCici02 and FallenGoth13 for their reviews. I hope you like this chapter. Also a big shout-out to Graphospasm and WhiteLadyDragon for being my sources of inspiration in the past.


	6. Chapter 6

Let's all relapse to Durarara. I will; that's for sure. There's more than one reason why this is called Rat Catchers.

* * *

"Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light."

-Helen Keller

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX: Rat Catchers**

With their eyes on the clock in the city. It was an especially hot day and they could feel their skin burning despite a large majority of the sun having been blocked out by the skyscrapers. They sat in a small café just across the street from the large hospital, thick sunglasses hiding their eyes, both wearing hats for extra protection. Ichigo kept her eyes on the green tea smoothie, the old-fashioned phone lying next to the plastic cup as they waited for Moe's call.

The phone buzzed twice, Moe's name with a smiley face pixelated next to the name. Ichigo snatched up the phone and flicked it open.

"Sup?"

"That's your appointment; best hurry on inside." Ichigo gave a slight nod, before realising that Moe was not in front of her.

"This better work." She could hear an old lady cackle on the other side of the line before she hung up. Ichigo did not know much about Moe's grandmother, but she did recall hearing about her involvement in the Ikasaka rebellion ten years ago, and she would not be surprised if her skills were used in many other similar incidents. "Alright."

Ichigo rose from her seat, the metal legs of the chair scraping against the stone floor. She stretched then took off her hat, leaving it on the steel table, shoving her phone into her jeans, Midori rising with her.

"Time to attack."

The room was dark and would have been impossible to get by with all of the cables had it not been for the illuminating blue lights that came with the computer screens. Three keyboards were set up, plugged into the multiple computers. Her grandmother had her hacker glasses on, purposefully meant to deflect the lights so she could see the data clearer. Even in her old age she was a fast typer, dark eyes flickering from screen to screen as she switched cameras.

Moe never understood how the old lady did it, eyes gleaming in amazement whenever she relapsed into her younger years of hacking. Even now she could see the tattoo that covered the entirety of her shoulder. She hid it from most guests because anyone that found out she was an old member of the terrorist group that first attacked the Solid State Company when they took over would call the police without question.

She switched to the camera just outside the hospital, watching the two girls walk up the polished pathway. Moe always hated what a state the city streets were in and how it contrasted with the cleanliness of every garden or building owned personally by the company. They liked to give themselves a good image and yet never thought that to do that they would have to do something about the city itself.

A page loaded over the camera image, demanding a passcode to enter the hospital's systems. Her grandmother knew it better than anyone else; she visited the hospital frequently with her bad legs and always took the time to snoop around while the doctors were pretending to look for others to help her when really they were taking a coffee break.

They were now in the reception room. Ichigo looked the least comfortable in her position, tapping her foot as Midori talked to the receptionist who was blissfully unaware of who they were; fresh and young with a glow of life still in her eyes unlike everyone else.

"If you just go to the waiting room, the doctor will be with you shortly." Midori gave a polite nod and thanked the new receptionist who beamed at the contrast against moody attitudes. Ichigo trailed after Midori and slumped into the seat next to her, staring dully ahead. There were no other people in the room because all the appointments for yearly checks had been cleared.

"Miss Ichigo Momomiya; Mr Nakaido will be seeing you now." Ichigo suppressed a smirk, recognising the voice as Moe's grandmother as she stood up, handing her sunglasses to Midori as she stepped through the door into the doctor's hallway.

"What's your favourite idea? Mine's being creative. How do you get that idea? I just try to think…" Rapid typing beat against the happy tune her grandmother was singing as the cameras for the entire ground floor were shut down, a wicked grin forming on her face. "Creatively."

Moe called the phone, watching as Ichigo answered.

"That's the ground floor cleared, setting off the fire alarm now." Ichigo gave a nod and hung up, hiding in one of the unused rooms. She shut the door behind her, waiting for the screech of the alarms. The whole area flashed red as the fire alarms screamed out, almost deafening her. No doubt Ichigo had sensitive ears now; she wished she had offered ear plugs before they started.

Midori stepped out of sight setting her sunglasses on her head before entering the ground floor corridor. Ichigo came out of her hiding place and they both started towards the third floor science laboratories, going with the flow for a few moments before climbing into the elevator. Unlike the other members of the large hospital, they knew there was no fire and with everyone too worried about their own safety, the threat of fire much more common here than anywhere else, no one even noticed them climb inside.

Midori remembered that it was the third laboratory room that contained the test rats and the files on the Cyclonians. She entered the large space to gather the needed objects while Ichigo explored the other laboratories, hoping to find anything on them.

They were both similar in their structure and all files were locked away with the keys out of sight. She did not care that much, settling on ripping it open without much regret, searching through the file names, seeking out 'M' and 'I'. She pulled out her own casefile as well as the others. She was not sure what good it would do, or if it would help them in any way, but it would be best to have it as back-up.

The second laboratory had very little to it that served purpose in their search. There was something on chimera. She took it whether it was useful or not; if anything it would make for an interesting read and would spite her enemies.

The next thing they had to do was start a real fire, to burn any evidence of them having been there. Ichigo just thought that Moe's grandmother thought of it to spite the company, and she would be just fine with that.

Once the fire was set, they started down the stairs. The elevators would be too risky now that it was a real fire. They avoided the fire exits, not wanting to get caught on the way and questioned; they would be recognised by the actual workers.

"This way." Midori took a similar escape route when she first fled the hospital and there were few people there even when it was at its busiest. Ichigo busted through first, assuming that the door was locked without checking. There was a security camera on the door, but it was currently under their control.

"Stop right there."

Something heavy was thrown at them, crashing into the wall to their right. It was a vending machine from the street just beyond the wall. Standing on the dust bin was a young woman with long black hair, and she did not look happy to see them.

"You are mutants, are you not?" Ichigo stiffened, clenching her hands; she did not feel safe around this person, and the fact that she knew what they were worried. She also had enough strength in her to throw something like a vending machine at them. "My name is Zakuro, and you are coming with me."


	7. Chapter 7

Hey kids, guess what? SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER! That's the end of sixth year and now I spend four months wondering what to do with my life. Anyway, introduction to a few new characters, some conflicts, and the situation will soon be a little altered.

* * *

"If the sky falls, one might hope to catch larks."

-Francois Rabelais

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN: Hunting the Cat**

Ichigo stood firmly on the ground, dark eyes on the woman calling herself Zakuro and claiming to know about mutants, or at least claiming to know that was what they were. Ichigo passed the files to Midori, never letting her eyes wander

The woman let out a sigh, still balanced on the dust bin.

"It seems I have no choice."

There was a pause.

Ichigo lunged first. Zakuro launched after her, grabbing the lid of the bin and with a powerful swing of her arm threw it at Midori. Midori ducked down with a yelp as the lid imbedded itself in the ground.

"Midori, run!" Midori stumbled upwards, tripping several times as she fled the alleyway. Zakuro made to chase, but Ichigo collided with her, throwing her back with incredible force. She could not let Zakuro catch Midori. "You're fighting me!"

Midori ran has fast as she was physically able, but she was never a fast runner. She was panting heavily and her throat was hoarse, her nose stinging and legs aching as she passed the third block. Looking upwards she could see Ichigo soaring across the sky like a bullet, crashing into the city building. She yelped as chunks of the building crashed to the ground, the pavements splintering and people screaming as the building began to fall apart. She could see the woman standing on the shopping mall directing opposite.

'That girl… she's way stronger than us.' She could feel panic take over. She could not have been involved in the same experiments as them surely. She knew what they were, but she was way stronger and was willing to fight them. Did that mean she was part of another experiment? What other experiments did she see?

…a man-made human.

She saw it for a moment. There were several in one of the laboratories, in storage vessels in a strange liquid. She wondered if this Zakuro person was one of those people.

Ichigo struggled up. She was strong, she could give the woman that much. She was certain her back was broken, yelping as she pulled herself up. The woman was upon her in an instant, lifting her high. Her eyes were strange; they were completely devoid of emotion. The absence of emotion was terrifying; she could not tell what she was going to do.

Zakuro tilted her head. Ichigo noticed an ear piece; someone was giving her orders and she had a good idea as to who was passing out the orders.

"No time to find the other one, but you will do."

The door was slammed open, regardless of being locked, and Midori fell through, her whole body shaking, breathing rapid and face red. Bu-Ling got up and ran to her. She was not injured, but she was crying.

"Midori, are you okay?"

"Ichigo, she's…she's…" She could not speak clearly through the gasps for breath and hiccups of tears soon to come.

"Midori, calm down. What happened?" Ai was the one to speak, looking mildly irritated but not to the point of wanting to yell at her.

"A w-woman came in and took Ichigo."

It was too dark to see immediately. Her arms were restrained, handcuffed together with a chain looped through the middle, the end melted into a large lump and attached to the ceiling. She was not on the ground, her feet just barely above the ground. She lifted herself higher and dropped suddenly, but the chain did not allow itself to break. She swung back and forth like she were on a swing, flipping so she was upside down and trying to pull the chains apart, but it did not work, flopping back into her uncomfortable position.

Her vision had returned to her, and now she could see clearly. The room was completely bare and the walls were made of solid concrete as were the floors. It was a room designed to confine people like her. She cursed to herself, letting herself hang there. She could not stay forever; sooner or later they would have to let her go. Whether she could get away was a whole different topic to discuss.

It seemed as though their intentions were to make her wait as long as possible, and she began to count the seconds, bored of reminding herself of the plan she had run through her head over and over again with no break. She wished they would hurry up, she was never a patient girl.

The metal door opened suddenly, bright light blinding her. She winced and looked away, keeping only one eye open as a figure stepped through. Slightly taller than her, and not female.

"I see you've calmed down at last." Ichigo did not speak. It did not sound female either, so the chances were that the figure was male. All of the lights came alive, the once dark room flooded with artificial sunshine.

The male was a man with short blonde hair and blue eyes, and looked to be only a few years older than her. Still a teenager. She wondered if he was another experiment or if he was the leader, but she would not ask; she would not say a single thing to him.

"I guess we should apologise for the… violence of other doctors." Another voice stepped in. A man with long brown hair in a ponytail. He looked to be older than the other and a little more welcoming, but she knew better than to judge based on appearances. Her ex-doctor was evidence of that. "And, of course, for not informing you of the fact that you were involved in this project from a very young age." Ichigo tried to not let her surprise show. "We have not selected people for Project: Counterattack randomly. You and the others have been monitored ever since you were born as suitable candidates for the project to counterattack a species we've called Cyclonians. Do you follow so far?" Ichigo kept quiet, maintaining the solid disinterested look in her eyes. The man was slightly discouraged and mildly disappointed but continued. "The truth was that you and the others were not supposed to be activated until you were 18, but the Cyclonians are already on earth and planning their first attack. We did not have time to discuss the situation clearly."

"Zakuro turned 18 a few months ago. She's your fifth member but not the strongest." The other man said. He seemed bored with the whole situation, but Ichigo could hardly blame him. She was also bored with dangling from the ceiling unable to punch him in the face. "The reason for her current strength is because of frequent boosts of Blue Aqua, though she no longer needs it and the supply has now been cut off."

Ichigo glanced between the two and then stared at the door. What was she expected to say? 'Oh yes I would love to work with you guys! I can totally forgive the fact that you have basically ruined my life and left me hiding from modern society!' That was not going to happen. And what would she tell the others; that this was all a huge misunderstanding?

"We're not asking that you work with us, just that you do your job. Once you've gotten rid of the Cyclonians then you can go back to your ordinary lives." Ichigo maintained eye contact. She could not tell whether he was lying or not, his eyes were almost completely blank. What was he, a business man? She would not be surprised, though he did not dress like one.

The younger man gave a frustrated sigh and waved the other man forward. The other man looked concerned but did not protest, unchaining Ichigo. Ichigo lunged forward, fist clenched. Before she could strike the blonde man down, Zakuro appeared, grabbing hold of her fist and holding her in place.

"Before you strike, be aware of the fact that we have known where you have been this entire time and we can take you down easily." Did that mean that everyone was currently in danger? Were they being watched at this exact moment by soldiers waiting for the order to shoot and kill? Ichigo let her arm drop, cursing in her head.

"I can drive you to the apartment. I think it's about time we explained the situation to everyone." Ichigo glared at the brunette man. He was still smiling and Ichigo could not help but feel as though she were being looked down. She shoved her hands in her pockets and skulked off, the brunette following after her.

Zakuro looked at her hand. Her whole body was shaking from having to hold the girl back. Regardless of the increase in Blue Aqua, Ichigo was still much stronger than her when it came to using her full strength.

"Let's go." The blonde had turned away and was walking out of the room.

"Of course, Elliot."

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Big thanks to everyone for reading so far. It's been a little more frustrating than I thought it would be this year, but now I have a big break to get stuff done. Next chapter there will be a lot of arguments, a change in situation, and a little attack. See you soon!


	8. Chapter 8

You thought the long chapters were over? **Well you were wrong! **Here's 2366 words for you. And next chapter is coming up soon. Fun fact, you should listen to the Psycho-Pass music while you read this. I did and now I feel epic.

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"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance."

-George Bernard Shaw

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**CHAPTER EIGHT: Berry Gum**

It was a nice car, the latest model with doors that slid sideways. The windows were tinted so no one could see in, and that made Ichigo cautious regardless of the kind smile the man offered her whenever she opened her mouth. She would shut her mouth shortly afterwards, deciding she would not speak to the man if she could afford it.

It was sheer rotten luck and the result of clumsiness. She should have known that the Solid State Company knew where they were. She had heard rumours of them having cameras in every household, but she assumed it to be nothing but rumour. Even now she was not sure if they were bluffing, but it was too late now. She would not be able to run, and she did not have her phone with her. It was a nice thought, but it was stupid of them to think they would be able to get away so easily.

She was still bitter; dismissing what was said with a scowl. She did not care for their reasoning or the fact that they did not intend to cause them harm, she was still angry for the interruption in her otherwise dull life. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised that this was the sort of life she had always been wishing for and now she was trying to run from it.

'Hypocrisy at its finest.'

The car came to a gentle stop, gliding smoothly into the parking lot. It was far too quiet; Ichigo liked a car with noise and drama; it made her feel as though she were in an action movie. The man, it seemed, was not lying when he said he knew where they were hiding out as Ichigo gave no directions yet they wound up next to the greasy yellow apartments they had been hiding in the entire time.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ichigo gave the man a vicious glare. She disliked how polite and caring he was pretending it be so early on and it was clear she did not buy the act, huffing and turning away, taking her own path to the apartment room. She did not know how she would be able to tell them.

"Ichigo!" Bu-Ling launched at Ichigo, embracing her with a frightful look in her eyes, she looked as though she were about to cry. Ichigo wanted to comfort her, but she had nothing comforting to say.

"Did they do anything to you, Ichigo?" Midori rose slightly. The papers were spread out around her; they had been reading over the notes or were in the process of reading them over.

"I… have bad news." Ichigo trudged down the narrow corridor and into the open space that had been her home for the past week, slumping down and running a hand through her hair, tugging nervously on a strand that had come loose from the knot. "They've… they've known where we were this entire time." There was a moment's silence before Ichigo continued. "I was restrained by the woman, Zakuro, and the head of the project explained he's been listening in on us the whole time. The chances are he's listening right now." She glanced at the wall. She did not know if there was a camera there, but she liked to bet this was true. "If we don't cooperate, he's intending to use force." This was not something he mentioned out loud, but Ichigo suspected that if they tried to run then they would simply be tracked down and dealt with effectively; she did not know if he had back-ups for rebellions.

"So that's it. We give up?" Ai spoke up. She looked angry, and with good reason. She was still the newest member and the memories of the transformation were still clear in her mind. However, she also knew of the consequences of fleeing and did not like the idea of being 'taken care of'; she had heard about what happened to terrorists or people labelled as terrorists.

"For now, it seems that working with the Solid State Company is our only choice." Midori said. She too knew that the company was not under using violent methods to deal with their enemies and for the time being it would be best to work alongside them. That was until they figured their own way about tackling the Cyclonians. Once they were dealt with she would not care in the slightest about the consequences of revealing the company's true nature.

Bu-Ling looked least willing, but after Midori's works she puffed out her cheeks and accepted it; not happy but not willing to run away. She had heard the cars arrive and knew that the company had heard the full conversation and was now waiting to pick them up.

They were all quiet in the back of the car. It was bigger than the one Ichigo arrived in and there were three soldiers in the car as well. It was intended for the army, and in some way it could be said that the four girls were soldiers in themselves.

"Hey." Ichigo snapped out of her daze, turning her attention to the soldier. He looked to be in his mid-forties with stubble only just forming and dark eyes that watched everything carefully. In his hand was a pack of gum. "Want some?"

"Sure." She took it carefully, removing the covering and sniffing. It smelt like ordinary gum and when she popped it in her mouth she found it to be nothing more than Berry gum.

"Listen, all this takes a lot of getting used to. And you do get used to it over time. The company isn't known to beat its workers and with you lot being as important as you are, they're going to make sure you're comfortable at least. If not to make you cooperate then as an apology. Elliot's a softie though and though." Ichigo scoffed, but did not mock the man. She could see that he meant every word he said, but that did not mean she was content with her situation. "He'll take good care of you lot, that's for sure."

They all stepped out and faced the building. It was the Solid State Company HQ in Tokyo City; a massive skyscraper that was true to its name, the top often covered by clouds and out of sight even when the sky was clear. Ichigo had only seen pictures of it, so seeing it up close was overwhelming. It was designed with the greatest of technology and made to stand out; made to be seen by everyone.

"Come on, kiddo." The man gave Ichigo a slap on the back, pushing her forward. Ai sniggered slightly as Ichigo stumbled following after them with a click of the tongue and a gentle kick on the ground, not noticing that she had left a small crack on the path.

Bu-Ling hated heights more than anything else and hated elevators even more, especially when she could see through them. It was basically a clear pod on the outside of the building slowly rising upwards until they reached their designated floor, having to turn away from the cityscape and step through onto floor more secure but still not close enough to the ground that she felt safe. She just did not feel safe if her feet were not near the ground.

Through clean hallways lit brightly past a number of doors was a set of doors that opened automatically to reveal an area larger than the entire first floor of Ichigo's house.

"This is the main resting area. There is a kitchen facility through here that has a microwave and oven. Bathrooms are here and to the left in this room are the sleeping quarters." The sleeping quarters contained four beds and looked quite cosy, but it was bare. Ichigo intended to fix that as soon as possible, wondering where she could find some permanent markers.

"What about Zakuro?" Midori asked gently, raising her hand the smallest amount.

"Zakuro sleeps across there." The man pointed to the room behind him. The door was open and Zakuro was not there. "Best leave all your stuff here for now. Elliot would like to discuss the situation with you in detail, though I doubt you'll need it." He stared at the satchel Midori brought with her. They had not finished reading the files and she took a slightly rebellious stand in reminding everyone that they were fully capable of breaking into highly secure places with the right contacts.

Dumping everything they had on a single bed, they followed the middle-aged soldier towards the interior elevator, going up several floors, almost to the top but not beyond the cloud line. Bu-Ling clung to Ichigo, unnerved by the height they were at. It were as though the floor was intended to frighten them as the walls were clear and showed them just how high they were; even Ai felt nauseous and kept a good distance away from the walls, walking quickly towards the automatic doors that opened up to Elliot's office. His room was not as vicious in its torture, with only a single wall being made up of glass, directly behind his office desk.

Looking around, it seemed as though the man lived in his office as Midori could see a glimmer of a bedroom to the left and a bathroom to the right. There was food on the coffee table and a fridge in clear sight. She wondered how he could tolerate living so high up.

"So everyone's here, then?" His calm voice broke through the temporary silence. Ichigo recognised the face immediately, he had the smug disinterest about him that still made her want to choke him to death. Midori made sure to remember the face for future reference, noting that he had a slight cut across his cheek and it was deep at one point; he probably knew how to fight.

"Let's get straight to the point, this place is creepy." He chuckled slightly, taking his seat and gesturing for them to sit around the coffee table.

"This is going to take a while but I'll try not to take too long."

The project was started up ten years ago after humankind received a fluctuation in the atmosphere. The cause for the fluctuation was located and labelled Cyclonians. There were three members in all who were sent as messengers for their race to locate a suitable planet to contain their species after their species had landed on a planet with a dangerous atmosphere. Earth was the fifth planet they came across and deemed the most likely to maintain the remains of their species. Demands were made to offer up half the planet so their kind could survive, but their demands were refused and they were ordered to leave.

"Isn't that a bit… brutal?" Midori interrupted. She was scowling; an expression unnatural on her face. Elliot offered her a glance and sighed slightly.

"We suggested another location, such as the colony on Mars, but they would not hear of it."

Threats were made and finally the Cyclonians declared that if humankind could not offer up space for their kind, they would make space, and shortly afterwards vanished.

"I do not know the reasons for picking earth specifically, but they seem persistent on settling on earth and earth alone. Shortly after that, we started up the project and maintained a neutral stand, listening out for the return of the Cyclonians."

The project was set up swiftly. Test subjects were carefully selected and given a number of injections of the blue aqua in their docile state. They would not be activated until it was absolutely necessary, and it was expected that the subjects would lead an otherwise ordinary life until the age of eighteen.

It was not until a week ago that the fluctuation returned; new members of the Cyclonian race had entered earth's atmosphere, and subjects of the project from all over the country were activated: five members from each country.

"That core replaced your ordinary heart a long time ago. While it was in a docile state and simply served as an ordinary heart, it has now been activated to its fullest potential now that humankind is at risk of elimination."

So that was it? This was the path they had to be set on from the very beginning? They had no choice in the matter?

"My apologies. You were not supposed to know about this until you were of legal age, but humankind calls for it." The room fell quiet. Everyone felt a little betrayed some towards the company, others towards their parents for letting the company do as it pleased.

"It's okay; I can understand your reasoning." Midori spoke first. She was just as upset as everyone else, but she did not hate Elliot for doing such a thing, no matter the consequences; at the time it probably felt like the only solution.

"Thank you." A glimmer of a smile appeared on his face before it stiffened and he continued speaking. "The Cyclonians will send their first attack soon. If you can, try to reason with them. If you cannot, make sure they won't be able to strike back."

Alarms blared suddenly. The room flashed red almost to a pendulum, the screeches of the alarm piercing. Elliot shut off the alarm, but the room continued to flash red. He rose, a grim smile on his face.

"How ironic." He said with a sigh, scratching his right cheek. "Well, girls, it seems that they have arrived with their first strike. Masha." The projector flickered on. The camera was focussed on Urayasu near Tokyo Bay. There was nothing too significant there. There was Tokyo Disneyland and a university. Ichigo recalled that the trains passed through as well. "Nothing too dangerous. Masha, set up for evacuations. They're probably just introducing themselves. Still, best be on your guard." He paused for a moment, thinking for a moment before calling downstairs. "We need a helicopter and fast. They're here."


	9. Chapter 9

Fast update, am I right? Introduction to alien and stuff. Will be getting very dramatic very fast, but for now enjoy the presence of the Cyclonians.

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"If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you're right."

-Mary Kay Ash

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE: Cyclonians**

They sat close to one another in the same car they arrived in, although it was hardly a car and more a truck with storage containing weapons of all sorts. Had they not seen the soldiers take out the guns then, they never would have suspected that there were weapons in the truck to start with. They made sure to sit opposite to the group of armed men. They were hardened soldiers that knew how to fight a war, but it was the girls first mission and they had never held a gun in their lives.

Zakuro climbed in and sat down next to the group, crossing her legs and crossing her arms, keeping her eyes shut and never indicating that she had the slightest interest in talking to them.

"All right, kiddos, seeing as it's your first mission, I figured you have no idea what to do." Spoke a gruff man with a square face and a large scar across his right cheek. He did not look especially violent, but his voice was stern. He was aware of the fact that they had only just entered the company and did not like the idea of having incompetent soldiers on the battlefield. "So I'm going to teach you how to use this."

He took out an especially large gun. It was about the length of his forearm and bulky in appearance. It opened up and a mechanical voice spoke up.

"Locked onto target. Status: neutral."

"This thing can shoot down anything. It's technically a strong paralyser; it's not meant to kill. It will help you pin down the Cyclonians, or anything living they decide to throw at you. Just point it at your target and pull the trigger. The gun locks itself and doesn't need bullets." He handed the gun to Midori who took it delicately. He opened up another panel in the storage area and took out a smaller gun with a sleeker appearance. "If it comes down to it, use this. The bullets are like capsules and inside each of the bullets is a deadly toxin. Once the bullet explodes in the body the toxin spreads quickly. The person can be saved by cutting off the infected area, but you'll be aiming for the head or chest. Hopefully, you'll only need to use it once."

As Ichigo stared dimly at the weapon in his hands, she could not help but feel a tingling sensation all over her body; that would be a painful way to go. She just hoped that they would not have weapons similar to their own as well.

The fatal weapon was handed to Ai who looked startled by the concept. She did not want to kill anyone and she was not the best shooter. It felt strange in her hands; an object made solely for killing other people.

"We'll be there in a moment."

It was a clear day and the port was clear of people, the ships and boats left rocking gently along the water. It was almost a peaceful scene, but they knew better than to believe that it was truly a safe place to be, the soldiers that had come with the five girls grouping together and forming a barricade behind them, their weapons drawn. They had normal guns as well as the paralysers and stood firm, ready to take down the enemy if they could not eliminate the threats personally.

"We know you're there. There's no point in hiding!" Ichigo called out. She tried to hide her shaky tone, eyes flickering back and forth between potential hiding spots as she tried to figure out where the Cyclonians could be hiding. How many were there again? Could they be hiding under the port? She did not know if they could even swim, but assumed so.

"Wow, they never told me I'd be fighting someone so cute." Ichigo turned sharply, the soldiers pointing their guns at the figure. It was as though he had materialised out of thin air, and it seemed entirely possible by the way he jumped off the warehouse roof, seemingly floating to the ground.

"Who are you?" She demanded immediately. She did not like the look of the boy. He seemed to be close to her age in physical appearance, but he was incredibly pale and quite thin. He dressed in a strange fashion and had an unnatural colour to his eyes; they were a bright yellow, brighter than even Bu-Ling's eyes, and a smirk she so desperately wanted to tear off his face. It was his ears that clearly gave away the fact that he was not human; more elf than anything and even that was laughable.

"So quick to get to the introductions, and you haven't even said hello to my friend yet." Friend? She had seen no one else and heard no one else-

There was a low rumbling that shook the ground. For a moment she feared an earthquake, but there had been no warnings and when it became stronger she realised it was coming from directly below them. Bu-Ling jumped out of the way first, leaping directly behind the soldiers and throwing herself at the Cyclonian. But when she reached out for him, he disappeared almost immediately and sat on a different warehouse.

The creature burst out of the water with a fiery screech. Had the situation not been so dangerous, she would have laughed and said that they had uncovered the real giant squid. While it had the physical traits of a typical squid, it was far larger and had a total absence of the soft texture a squid had; it seemed to have been made out of hard scales that slid smoothly into position, revealing no weakness as it struck down onto the wood of the port, the single tentacle completely obliterating an unfortunate boat.

"I've read hentai before and I know where this is going." Ichigo said jokingly, more to relieve her nervousness than anything else. The soldiers shot the beast, but the bullets bounced off carefreely. When the ordinary guns did not work, the paralysers were activated. Shooting at once, the shots hid directly, but had no use. The scales were like armour, so the beast stayed conscious and was growing fiercer by the moment.

'What the hell is this thing?' Zakuro rolled out of the way, avoiding a strike intended to kill. Had she been any slower she would have become a human pancake and not a cartoon-styled one either. There had to be a weakness, or a way to reveal the skin underneath to allow a fatal shot. Ai would not be able to kill it if she just shot the scales, and they would have to kill it. 'There has to be an opportunity, a weak spot. Something that needs to be exposed…'

Midori stumbled out of the way. Panicked thoughts clouded her intelligence as she tried to figure out where the monster would be its weakest. The armour protected its entire being, but it would need air. Did it have a blowhole or a mouth? She was certain it had a mouth because it was still screeching.

It became clear then.

"Ai, I need you to jump into the creature's mouth." She shouted at the girl.

"What, are you trying to get me killed!?" Midori ran closer to Ai, the Cyclonian still observing Ichigo and Zakuro landing strike after strike at the beast.

"That shell only protects its outside; its mouth is completely exposed. If we shoot directly into the mouth the creature cannot defend itself."

"It's crazy, it'll never work."

"Bu-Ling!" Bu-Ling cartwheeled out of the way and in their direction. "I need you to throw Ai into the creatures mouth." Bu-Ling opened her mouth to protest, thinking for a single moment that Midori had lost her mind. "Just do it."

Bu-Ling lifted Ai high off the ground, the girl screaming in protest. Bu-Ling simply grinned and threw the girl full force at the monster. She struggled to hold the gun as she came closer and closer to the mouth, pointing it directly at the mouth. She a gulp, she shot the bullet straight down its throat as she fell in.

The monster squirmed and riled, flailing as it tried to tackle the enemy that was already inside it, eating away at it from the inside out until its fluid movements became brittle, stiffening to a halt as all that was left was the empty shell. Ai knocked on the shell, the scale collapsing, now ruined by the abnormal weapon as she stumbled through.

'This gun…' She was horrified by it. The monster was quite literally eaten from the inside out, and it could feel every moment of it. She did not want to imagine what would happen if she shot it at the Cyclonian.

The Cyclonian let out a low whistle, surprised, impressed, and mildly unnerved all at once. He had not moved from his second position once, enjoying the show from a safe distance. It would be dangerous to stay longer than he already had; he could be their next target and he did not like the idea of dying in _that _fashion. With a chuckle, he slipped away. It was a shame, because he only caught the names of two of the girls, and not even the leader.

"Catch you later, kitten."


End file.
